Searching for a New Rig

Two years of traveling in our 1985 Fiber Stream has been amazing, but recently we’ve been dreaming of a slightly larger space. It would probably be a year or two before we actually purchased anything, but we wanted to start looking at rigs to get an idea of what exactly it is we’re looking for.

We have no experience outside of our 16ft molded fiberglass camper, so we we will be touring some rigs over the next year or so to determine the size, type and layout we want. We will be looking at new, used and vintage trailers. Right now, we’re leaning towards renovating a vintage airstream, but we’re open to seeing where this discovery process takes us.

Some of the features we’re looking for are – length between 19-25 ft, a separate bed and dinette area, functional storage, counter space, and a walk around bed. We’re more interested in travel trailers right now, but haven’t ruled anything out.

To begin the search, we visited Sky Valley RV in Buellton, California. They have a great selection of Airstreams within our length preferences. Below you can read about the models we toured!

Watch the video:

The Airstream Basecamp was the first rig we toured…and, it was the most similar to our current rig. The bed was also the dinette, which is a feature we want to move away from, but the bathroom was pretty spacious and has a higher ceiling than we’re used to.

One of the biggest downsides of the Basecamp is the lack of upper storage. There are netted shelves about the kitchen, but no actual cabinets.

Overall, we like the modern and sleek look… but, don’t see ourselves opting for the Basecamp.

Next up we toured the Airstream 22ft Sport. We loved the layout and size of this rig. The kitchen is located in the middle with a “C” shaped dinette behind it. This layout would give us extra working space and the ability to have friends over without feeling cramped.

The downside for us is that the bed is relatively small and has no walking space around the edges. Other than that, we could really see ourselves in a rig with a similar layout!

Lastly, we checked out the 25ft Flying Cloud with a front bed. The 25ft unit is on the large end of what we’re looking for, but it was our favorite rig of the day. The rear dinette and wrap around couch would give us ample space for guests and entertaining. And, the queen size bed has space on three sides to walk around it.

Overall, it was a day of education and excitement! We’re glad the search has officially begun. Although it may be over a year before we find the next perfect rig, we’ll slowly widdle away the contenders.

Thanks to Sky River RV for letting us check out the rigs. We visited their Buellton location, but they have a few properties located on the California coast. Take a look at their Facebook, Instagram & Website!

Thanks for reading our blog! Our mission is to live minimally & deliberately as we explore the earth and it’s many communities. Help support our mission by shopping through our Amazon Link, visiting our Etsy shop, or better still, listening to our new album!

The holiday season is quickly approaching! Here’s our guide for shopping for that special RVer in you life!

Like this:

Related

Post navigation

11 thoughts on “Searching for a New Rig”

My mom and step dad buy vintage Airstream trailers. Step dad completely redoes the wood/appliances/electrical/plumbing and exterior while trying to keep it true to the original. My mom is great with woodwork and all the “pretty stuff.” They have several trailers in progress, 6-12 months out from completion in the size range you are looking for. I can get you their contact info if you’re interested. We are in central Texas.

You both have come a long way in a short amount of time & knew this day would come. Good luck with your search & look forward to how this will end up. You will be flooded with opinions & advice; myriads of information to comb through & some confusion as well. The only advice I have is: Be true to yourselves & why you did this in the first place. You have the energy, intelligence, & the attitude to continue your upward success & wish nothing but the best for you. Love what you do & support you when I can. KEEP IT UP!!!

We’re already trying to upgrade as well (twice this year). Our first TT was a 22′ Winnebago Remington Sunnybrook that I really liked a lot but the bed was a split queen (fold over) and hubby’s feet stuck out.

Then, we bought a 39′ Montana 3730FL that we are currently in now. The shower is great and it’s nice to have space. In our washer/dryer area, we have a lot of storage space for food opting not to get a W/D.

Highly recommend Lance 2285. Think it has many of the features you are looking for, and at a weight that is easy to tow. We have a 2013 model and have travelled extensively in it – easy to maneuver, dinette and sofa, walk around bed, lots of storage. Good luck with your search!

Olivia and Kyle I was just about to ask you to please review the Lance 1985 which has the same type of layout you are looking for. It has an awesome dining room slide out. It is made for 4 season camping and is very well insulated. We recently bought our first camper which is a used Ipod 180 and love it so far but when we upgrade, the Lance will be the next serious TT we will look at. We missed out on a used Lance 1585 by not jumping on it. Take a look at the Ipod 180 It does have the kitchen across from the table but the table is only for two where as the Lance has a wrap around table similar to a booth. You will be awestruck when you look at the Lance and actually go inside one. To see them on youtube does not do it justice.

I met a very nice couple that had a 2013ish Airstream in the size/setup that you are looking at – the entire rear “wall” of the trailer raised up (like a toy hauler) with screening that dropped down to keep bugs out. This feature was standard on this model. I’m not descriping it very well, but it is definitely one of the coolest/most useable Airstreams that I have ever seen. I think that it would suit your lifestyle very well.

We currently have a Lance 1685, and we love it. The only thing I miss is a walk around bed. We plan to upgrade to the 2155 eventually. Most Lances are four season. Although we love airstream also. The lack of storage, and price helped us make up our minds. We have been following your journey for a while now, and think you guys are an awesome couple. Good Luck and I hope all good comes to you.

We can certainly understand your desire to upsize your rig as long as your lifestyle remains the same. Every time we watch your videos (almost every nite!) we are amazed that you manage your travels from such a small trailer. But then I remind my wife that many years ago we spent the entire summer traveling the US from East to West – and back – by camping in our small tent, Coleman stove and ice cooler – from our Datsun station wagon. And we managed just fine.

But more recently in our desire to go full time we spent years researching Class As until we found the one that we really love – a 38′ Winnebago Adventurer. For us – we wanted something large enough to carry a lot of our “stuff” and really provide a home to us. After owning it for 1 1/2 years and after several trips we love it more than ever. But it took us years of going to many shows, many dealers, and a great deal of web research to find out realities if full timing and the best RVs out there for us.

So here is some advice that may help you –
(1) Go with Quality! There are some unbelievably bad manufacturers out there who should not even be in business. From all we have heard – for a towable trailer Airstream is one of the best, so don’t settle for less.
(2) Do your research. Sounds like you have been actually doing this for years, as your current travels certainly count as strong learning about what works for you – and what does not. Also – as you well know there is a ton of information on the web about models, floor plans and owner ratings.
(3) Don;t Be Afraid to Travel to Get What You Want. We live in southern CA (you just drove right past us!) but we bought our Class A at PPL in Houston, TX – because they had the model we wanted. Another way of saying this – do not rely on just what your local dealers may have in stock – research what is for sale out there nationwide. Look what Nathan of Less Junk, More Journey did to obtain his Airstream in Texas!
(4) Don;t Be Afraid To Buy Used – I think you are well aware of this one, especially since it seems like you already have some plans to make some mods. Not only will your unit cost less but you will have more $$ for upgrades as well as learning more about your rig as you go through it, clean it, maintain it, and make it your own. We also learned that for many people that they quickly tire of RV ownership after just a few years so there should be lots of great used RVs out there for you.

Could offer more but I think you pretty much have heard it all by now. So – good luck with your shopping. Hope to see you in Quartsite this year!

Check out Escape fiberglass trailers made in Chilliwack BC. I bought the 17ft but they also make a 19 and 21ft version. Very good quality and custom builds. With the value of the US dollar against the Canadian dollar it’s a deal. They hold their value very well and are rugged.

We have converted 3 buses and reno’d a number of RV/coaches. We just finished a “camp kitchen” from a 7×14 enclosed trailer. My best best advice – nix the booths or tables, whether new or used. We always remove them and install a build to fit long counter. Add backless stools that can slip under. Sometimes you can add a tilted shelf underneith along the wall for anthing storage as well. You gain tremendous counter/desk / work space and dining with a view. The bonus is all the additional floor space you gain. It really is a win win.